Controlling my IP Profile

I am at the end of a long copper wire in rural Northumberland with no option but to use BT or white label ISP. I am luckier than a lot in my village as I normally sync at 2300/2400 kbps putting me on the 2Mb IP profile. System runs 24/7 and I have a stable line which used to go several weeks without disconnecting or re-synching. Target SNR seems to be 9Db from watching when it does re-synch.

Over the last few weeks my IP profile has been shot to pieces. My system has been re-synching almost daily and ratcheting up the sync rate during the daytime. This eventually reaches the point where the rate is not sustainable during darkness. This causes another re-sync often back into the 1600/1800 kbps range, knocking my IP profile back to 1250/1500. While the sync rate gradually resets itself upwards the IP profile takes the usual BT 3 to 5 days to follow. Just when it gets back to the 2Mb profile, the system then over-reaches itself and I get another overnight re-sync back to the lower profile.

The end result is that my system is normally synced at a high enough rate to support a 2Mb profile but actually runs at 1.25/1.5/1.75. Is there any way that I can control things to get out of this loop?

Edited by GonePostal (Fri 07-Oct-11 09:51:21)

All you can do is try and ensure you connect at the lowest sustainable connection speed for the modem, so take the 1.25 all the time, or experience the higher figures now and then like now.

What's your lines Attenuation? This will help people see if you are expecting too much from your line. Also what router are you using?

See the Router link in my signature - I'm also on a fairly long line (50/51db) and changing to a Broadcom chipset router transformed things for me

What is causing the resyncs? If you can stop that then your problem should resolve itself. If it is the modem/hub try getting an alternative and seeing how that performs.

As you are on a long line, why not get a 2wire2700HGV - the BT Business Hub which has a reputation for giving good results on long lines. It will not resync without good reason and can hold the signal right down to 0dB SNR.

Thanks for the responses.

I understand why Andrew suggests living with 1.25 but it is aggravating when I have gone for getting on for 12 months with a rock solid 2Mb profile.

In answer to other questions, attenuation is 59Db (on a good day I sometimes see 58). Router is Netgear DG834Gv3 with DG Team firmware. I've also run a BT 2Wire 2700HGV Business Hub on the same line with the same sort of connection speed and profile. However, I don't see the point of the question unless there is some doubt about whether I have reported correctly the sync speed and profile I have managed to hold for a good few months now.

Even if I could improve things by changing hardware or whatever, it doesn't respond to my original point about how to stop BT materially harming my connection speed when most of time my existing connection and hardware will support a much higher IP profile and speed than their system allows.

I've no idea what is causing the re-syncs. There is no break in connection, no change in dynamic IP and no impact on normal web-browsing at the time of re-sync and Routerstats Noise Margin graph shows no break. The Sync Speed graph shows one reading of 0 and then resumes at the new sync speed.

Edited by GonePostal (Fri 07-Oct-11 13:28:24)

If we ignore any thing that might stabilise the line, then what you are waiting for is

1. a LLU provider who does not use the IP Profile system
2. rollout of WBC and its new faster IP Profile system

Bursts of noise from sources outside the BT network are the usual cause for resyncs

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

If we ignore any thing that might stabilise the line, then what you are waiting for is

1. a LLU provider who does not use the IP Profile system
2. rollout of WBC and its new faster IP Profile system

Bursts of noise from sources outside the BT network are the usual cause for resyncs

Be a long time then as there are less than 1000 subscribers on exchange. I can understand bursts of noise causing a downward sync but would that cause the continual upward drift till it all falls over?

Incidentally some of the link to the exchange is by overhead pole. Where we live it is often impossible to hear Radio 5 after dark because of the interference from AM stations on the other side of the North Sea. Perhaps naively I've always assumed that there is little I can do about the noise on the internet connection for that reason.

Given Radio 5 issues, then probably very little you can do.

Some ADSL modems cope better with this than others. Ensuring your modems lead is a twisted pair (the ones supplied are not, might have a marginal effect)

The AM noise, look at the stats do they get worse as the sun sets, and given earlier sunset it will be more obvious at this time of year.

One option is for the provider to apply a fixed speed profile to the line, they'd probably opt for 1Meg, but you might get a 2Meg applied if lucky. Rare to see it actually done, as not 100% sure it is an option still available to them.